Soviets Invited To Launch Of Shuttle

July 18, 1985|By James Fisher, Orlando Sentinel

WASHINGTON — The two Soviet cosmonauts who participated in the Apollo-Soyuz space linkup a decade ago have been invited to attend a shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center, U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson said Wednesday.

In turn, the House space science and applications subcommittee, headed by the Florida Democrat, has asked Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin for an invitation to visit Soviet launch and space centers early next month to further celebrate the Apollo-Soyuz anniversary.

The attempt by the 15-member panel to renew U.S.-Soviet space relations is supported by a report to Congress released Wednesday that said superpower cooperation could lead to ``substantive gains`` in some areas of space research.

The report by the Office of Technology Assessment, which analyzes issues for Congress, said joint space efforts also could provide insight into the Soviet space program and society as a whole.

Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz docking and the historic handshake in space which, at the time, was hailed as the start of a new era of cooperation between the two world powers.

The three American members of the mission -- Deke Slayton, Vance Brand and Tom Stafford -- led cosmonauts Alexi Leonov and Valery Kubasov on a tour of the National Air and Space Museum. In an afternoon ceremony, the five watered trees they had planted at the Washington museum just after their flight.

On Tuesday, the crew members were reunited at a conference on possible missions to Mars. They expressed a desire for a joint U.S.-Soviet Mars flight, but admitted that is unlikely unless the countries` relationship improves.

The subcommittee`s launch invitation would probably include any shuttle launch that does not involve defense payloads, said Tom Tate, a staff member of the House Science and Technology Committee.

The request to visit Soviet space sites ``is still under review`` by the Soviet embassy, Tate said.

Kennedy Space Center is a ``closed area`` off limits to Soviet diplomats and journalists, but the cosmonauts could visit there, according to the State Department.